Google develops Android Studio IDE

Wow, I didn’t expect this one. Google has announced its own IDE for developing Android apps, Android Studio. The system is free and is already available to try, but note this is as an early access preview (caveat emptor).

It’s the first major announcement to come out of Google I/0 2013 underway in San Francisco (running until Friday), and what does does this mean for Eclipse, the open source IDE that has previously been the recommended path to development?

To develop Android Studio, we cooperated with JetBrains, creators of one of the most advanced Java IDEs available today. Based on the powerful, extensible IntelliJ IDEA Community Edition, we’ve added features that are designed specifically for Android development, that simplify and optimize your daily workflow.
Extensible build tools

We know you need a build system that adapts to your project requirements but extends further to your larger development environment. Android Studio uses a new build system based on Gradle that provides flexibility, customized build flavors, dependency resolution and much more.

Note: “This is an early access preview intended for early adopters and testers who want to influence the direction of the Android tools. If you have a production app with a large installed base, there’s no need to migrate your development to the new tools at this time. We will continue to support Eclipse as a primary platform for development.”

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Alun Williams is the author of the Eyes on Android blog, among others on the site. Having first worked online in 1997, he is now editor of ElectronicsWeekly.com at Metropolis Business Media, having previously worked for Centaur Communications, Dennis Publishing, and RBI. In a previous existence he worked as a computer programmer in the engineering industry. Read more »